Webmasters are always looking for ways to generate free traffic to their sites.Â Because of this, you can find advice on this subject on thousands of websites.Â But just how good is that advice?Â

Too often any advice on generating traffic is given with an ulterior motive behind it.Â Or you’re given advice about some whiz bang superduper new system for generating traffic by some type of spamming (spamming blogs, search engines, email, etc.).Â Â

Here are 10 low cost methods of generating traffic that will stand the test of time.Â They’re based off of giving value instead of spamming and taking advantage of others.

1. Publish Good Keyword Rich Content on Your Site

Search engine optimization is a popular subject and there are all kinds of experts ready to teach you exactly what to do. Systems have come…and systems have gone.Â

Publishing good keyword rich content on your website has lastedÂ the test of time.Â While spamming techniques constantly fall by the wayside. Good content will continue to be the primary wayÂ to generate free traffic from search engines.

2. Write and submit good articles.Â

The Internet is based on content.Â I’ve used this method for a decade now to drive traffic to my sites.Â Take a portion of the content you create and submit it to article directories and lists for ezine publishers.Â

This is a primary traffic driver for a large number of businesses. Even when it’s not one of your main tools, it still drives some of the most qualified and highly valuable visitors you’ll haveÂ at your site.Â If you haven’t been producing articles, then why not?Â

3. Publish a Blog

Even large corporations have jumped on the blogging bandwagon.Â This is based on the same principles already given.Â You have a simple tool to create and add content to your site.Â You also areÂ provided with tools to network with others online and share in each other’s information.

Start a blog. Add other blogs to your links.Â Visit and comment on other’s posts.Â Become a part of the blogosphere, and take part in the discussions by watching wwhere other blogs are going with their discussions.Â

4. Send a Press Release

Very few small business owners take advantage of the media’s willingness to spread their story.Â Write a press release or hire someone to write it for you.Â Then publish it on a site such as Prweb.Â Â

Because of the low costs involved in sending out press releases, this should become a part of your monthly promotional plan.Â Â What’s the big news this month?Â What big stories are in the media that you can piggyback on or identify with?

5. Participate on Discussion BoardsÂ

Find discussion boards in your niche.Â Participate in them regularly.Â Instead of promoting, be an expert who helps those on the site.Â Give them advice.Â Answer questions.Â Help beginners in your niche.Â

At the bottom of all your postings, you can have a link to your website.Â When I’ve followed this, I’ve been surprised at just how many visitors you get through these little links at the bottom of your postings.Â Plus, you’re building aÂ relationship with these visitors before they even get to your site.Â

You can also take another step and activiely search for sites to link to you.Â You can do a simple search on Google for “link:http://www.acompetitor.com” to find sites linking toÂ your competition.Â Contact them and find a way to get themto link to you as well.

7. Create a “Viral” Video

Video is part of the future of the Internet.Â Where we used to talk about viral ebooks, now we talk about viral videos.Â Create an informational or entertaining video and use sites such as Google Video and Youtube.com to distribute it for you.Â

Make sure to include your web address on the video.Â Create multiple short videos.Â Look into the communitites being built up on these video sites, and find a way to tap into the ongoing video discussions.Â Â Â

8. A Good Offer on Your Business CardÂ

This is a simple one.Â The entire backside of my card is an offer for a free report you receive at my website for subscribing to my newsletter.Â It has the headline and several bullet points along with the URL for the site.Â

This simple strategy is so effective that I’ve attended seminars where I’ve seen quite a few people have printouts of my free report the second day.Â They took my card and signed up for my list that night!Â Are you using this simple strategy with people you meet?

9. Start An Affiliate ProgramÂ

If you don’t know about affiliate programs, then you’ve been hiding in a cave.Â FOr many successful businesses, the affiliate program equals much higher than 50% of their sales.Â Running your own affiliate program is the killer traffic generation tool.

An affiliate program gives you the ability to tap into other people’s traffic, other people’s lists, and other people’s customer relationships.Â No matter what you’re selling, you should find a way to put an affiliate program into the mix.

10. Set-up Joint VenturesÂ

Joint ventures include affiliate programs, but they also go beyond them.Â Who can you trade an article with?Â Who could you run co-op advertising with?Â Who could you trade ads with?Â How can you help others while generating traffic for your own site?

You might have your “normal” offer on your site that all affiliates refer their visitors to.Â How can you set-up a special deal with better pricing, more bonuses, or some other type of special offer for the customers of a large opt-in list or buyer’s list?Â If you want a surge of new sales, find a way to create exclusive deals at times.

Written by Terry · Filed Under All | Comments Off on 10 Ways to Advertise Your Website For Free

I’m sure you’ve heard multiple gurus tell you there is only one right way to do business online.Â They’re wrong.Â There isn’t only one way.Â There are multiple ways to reach new prospects and convert prospects into sales.

There also isn’t just one way to design your website.Â Let’s eliminate some of the confusion and point out 3 of the ways you might design a site for maximum response.Â In many businesses, you might find the best response of all is to have 3 different websites that fit into each of these categories.

Website Method #1 – Lead Generation

A lead generation page is also sometimes called a “squeeze” page.Â You have one goal with this type of site…to get people to give you their contact information.Â You promise them some type of benefit in exchange for their name and email address (in some cases additional information as well).Â

You don’t provide outside links on this page.Â You don’t provide any free content (unless people sign-up).Â You give visitors one purpose…to sign-up for the list.Â This type of site will have the highest conversion of visitors to email sign-ups.Â

A lead generation page is my favorite method to use with paid advertising.Â If I’m paying for visitors, I want as many of them as possible to join my list.Â The money is in the list.Â

Website Method #2 – Sales Page

This is similar to the lead generation site, because you only have one primary purpose here as well.Â It’s often called a mini-site because it usually consists of one primary pageÂ and an order link.Â It looks simply like a sales letter that you can scroll all the way down to read all of it.

Your highest conversion rates of visitors into buyers will usually come a page like this.Â Visitors either buy your product or they leave the site.Â There aren’t any outside links to distract or confuse them. You’re not offering multiple products.Â A confused mind does not buy.Â

It’s simple.Â You have this solution to their problem.Â You will find this type of page converts extremely well for low cost items and for any price item when the visitors are coming because of an endorsement.Â

If you’re selling a high ticket item without an endorsement from another site or newsletter, then I’d recommend using the lead generation page first.Â Get people on your list so you can follow-up on them.Â Then take them over the sales page for a good conversion rate.

Website Method #3 – Content Site

This type of site has been neglected by many people in online marketing circles.Â The lead generation page gets the highest conversion of visitors to subscribers, and the sales pages closes the most sales. Where does a content site fit in the picture?

The content site is going to be the one to generate the most free traffic.Â While you could use an affiliate program to generate free traffic to a lead generation or sales page, a content site can generate traffic from search engines, directories, incoming links, publicity, and more.

This site can become the free backbone that drives the traffic to your other pages. You produce content pages (or have them produced for you).Â You work on creating incoming links to your site.Â The site generates free traffic.Â That’s the goal here.Â

You then turn the traffic into cash by sending those visitors to your lead generation or sales pages for better conversion rates.Â The content site takes quite a bit more work than the other types of sites, but it’s the one generating all the free visitors.Â

Don’t limit what type of content site you create.Â This could be free articles.Â It might be videos.Â It could be a discussion board or a blog.Â It could be something entertaining.Â Basically it’s something of value that will cause other sites to link to you.

Build your lead generation site.Â Build your sales page.Â But don’t forget the free traffic a content site can send you in the process.Â

Written by Terry · Filed Under All | Comments Off on 3 Types of Websites…Which Ones Are Right for You?